Reconocer Conjugation | How to Conjugate Reconocer in Spanish

Reconocer means “to recognize,” “to identify,” or “to acknowledge.” You will learn its reconozco / reconozca family, otherwise regular -ER forms, gerund reconociendo, and common complement patterns.

Reconocer conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Reconocer uses reconozc- in the first-person singular present and throughout the present subjunctive: reconozco — “I recognize” — and reconozca, reconozcamos, reconozcan.

Reconocer gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle reconocido remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	reconocer	to recognize / acknowledge
Gerund	reconociendo	recognizing / acknowledging
Past participle	reconocido	recognized / acknowledged

Reconocer meaning and essential uses

Reconocer is transitive. It can mean identifying someone or something already known: Reconozco su voz. — “I recognize his / her voice.” With a person, personal a is standard: Reconocí a Marta. — “I recognized Marta.”

It also means acknowledging or admitting something as true, legitimate, or valid: Reconoció que se había equivocado. — “He / she acknowledged that he / she had made a mistake.” Another common pattern is reconocer a alguien como + role.

Reconocer irregular conjugation patterns

The first-person present is reconozco — “I recognize,” while the remaining present forms use reconoc-: reconoces, reconoce, reconocemos, reconocéis, reconocen.

The entire present subjunctive uses reconozc-: reconozca, reconozcas, reconozcamos, reconozcáis, reconozcan. The preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, gerund, and participle follow the expected -ER pattern.

Reconocer indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Reconocer present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The first-person singular is reconozco; the remaining present forms keep reconoc-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconozco	I recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	reconoces	you recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconoce	he / she recognizes / acknowledges; you recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconocemos	we recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconocéis	you recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocen	they recognize / acknowledge; you recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Reconozco esa voz inmediatamente. — I recognize that voice immediately.

Reconocer preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconocí	I recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	reconociste	you recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconoció	he / she recognized / acknowledged; you recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconocimos	we recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconocisteis	you recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocieron	they recognized / acknowledged; you recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Ayer reconocí a Marta en la estación. — Yesterday I recognized Marta at the station.

Reconocer imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconocía	I used to recognize / acknowledge / was recognizing / acknowledging
Tú — you, singular informal	reconocías	you used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconocía	he / she used to recognize / acknowledge / was recognizing / acknowledging; you used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconocíamos	we used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconocíais	you used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocían	they used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging; you used to recognize / acknowledge / were recognizing / acknowledging (plural)

• Antes reconocía todos los edificios del barrio. — I used to recognize all the buildings in the neighborhood.

Reconocer present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus reconociendo — “recognizing / acknowledging.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy reconociendo	I am recognizing / acknowledging
Tú — you, singular informal	estás reconociendo	you are recognizing / acknowledging
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está reconociendo	he / she is recognizing / acknowledging; you are recognizing / acknowledging (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos reconociendo	we are recognizing / acknowledging
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis reconociendo	you are recognizing / acknowledging (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están reconociendo	they are recognizing / acknowledging; you are recognizing / acknowledging (plural)

• Estoy reconociendo varios patrones en los datos. — I am recognizing several patterns in the data.

Reconocer near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and reconocer.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a reconocer	I am going to recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a reconocer	you are going to recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a reconocer	he / she is going to recognize / acknowledge; you are going to recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a reconocer	we are going to recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a reconocer	you are going to recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a reconocer	they are going to recognize / acknowledge; you are going to recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Voy a reconocer oficialmente el resultado. — I am going to officially acknowledge the result.

Reconocer future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconoceré	I will recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	reconocerás	you will recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconocerá	he / she will recognize / acknowledge; you will recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconoceremos	we will recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconoceréis	you will recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocerán	they will recognize / acknowledge; you will recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Reconoceremos el trabajo del equipo mañana. — We will acknowledge the team’s work tomorrow.

Reconocer conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconocería	I would recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	reconocerías	you would recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconocería	he / she would recognize / acknowledge; you would recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconoceríamos	we would recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconoceríais	you would recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocerían	they would recognize / acknowledge; you would recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Reconocería ese lugar en cualquier foto. — I would recognize that place in any photo.

Reconocer present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he reconocido	I have recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	has reconocido	you have recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha reconocido	he / she has recognized / acknowledged; you have recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos reconocido	we have recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis reconocido	you have recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han reconocido	they have recognized / acknowledged; you have recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• He reconocido mi error. — I have acknowledged my mistake.

Reconocer past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había reconocido	I had recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	habías reconocido	you had recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había reconocido	he / she had recognized / acknowledged; you had recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos reconocido	we had recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais reconocido	you had recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían reconocido	they had recognized / acknowledged; you had recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Ya habíamos reconocido ese problema. — We had already recognized that problem.

Reconocer future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré reconocido	I will have recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás reconocido	you will have recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá reconocido	he / she will have recognized / acknowledged; you will have recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos reconocido	we will have recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis reconocido	you will have recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán reconocido	they will have recognized / acknowledged; you will have recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Para entonces habrán reconocido todos los documentos válidos. — By then they will have recognized all valid documents.

Reconocer conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría reconocido	I would have recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías reconocido	you would have recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría reconocido	he / she would have recognized / acknowledged; you would have recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos reconocido	we would have recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais reconocido	you would have recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían reconocido	they would have recognized / acknowledged; you would have recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Habría reconocido su voz incluso por teléfono. — I would have recognized his / her voice even over the phone.

Reconocer subjunctive conjugations

Reconocer present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The entire present-subjunctive family uses reconozc-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconozca	that I recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	reconozcas	that you recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconozca	that he / she recognize / acknowledge; that you recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconozcamos	that we recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconozcáis	that you recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconozcan	that they recognize / acknowledge; that you recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Quiero que reconozcas el problema. — I want you to acknowledge the problem.

Reconocer imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconociera	that I recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	reconocieras	that you recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconociera	that he / she recognized / acknowledged; that you recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconociéramos	that we recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconocierais	that you recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocieran	that they recognized / acknowledged; that you recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Preferían que reconociéramos el esfuerzo de todos. — They preferred that we acknowledge everyone’s effort.
• Era importante que reconocieses tu error. — It was important that you acknowledge your mistake.

Reconocer future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reconociere	if / when I should recognize / acknowledge
Tú — you, singular informal	reconocieres	if / when you should recognize / acknowledge
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reconociere	if / when he / she should recognize / acknowledge; if / when you should recognize / acknowledge (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	reconociéremos	if / when we should recognize / acknowledge
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconociereis	if / when you should recognize / acknowledge (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reconocieren	if / when they should recognize / acknowledge; if / when you should recognize / acknowledge (plural)

• Quien reconociere la deuda deberá comunicarlo por escrito. — Whoever should acknowledge the debt must communicate it in writing.

Reconocer present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya reconocido	that I have recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas reconocido	that you have recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya reconocido	that he / she has recognized / acknowledged; that you have recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos reconocido	that we have recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis reconocido	that you have recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan reconocido	that they have recognized / acknowledged; that you have recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas reconocido tu error. — I am glad that you acknowledged your mistake.

Reconocer past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera reconocido	that I had recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras reconocido	that you had recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera reconocido	that he / she had recognized / acknowledged; that you had recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos reconocido	that we had recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais reconocido	that you had recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran reconocido	that they had recognized / acknowledged; that you had recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Si hubiera reconocido la voz, habría respondido antes. — If I had recognized the voice, I would have replied earlier.
• Si hubieses reconocido el problema, podríamos haberlo corregido. — If you had recognized the problem, we could have corrected it.

Reconocer future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle reconocido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere reconocido	if / when I should have recognized / acknowledged
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres reconocido	if / when you should have recognized / acknowledged
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere reconocido	if / when he / she should have recognized / acknowledged; if / when you should have recognized / acknowledged (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos reconocido	if / when we should have recognized / acknowledged
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis reconocido	if / when you should have recognized / acknowledged (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren reconocido	if / when they should have recognized / acknowledged; if / when you should have recognized / acknowledged (plural)

• Si hubieren reconocido la obligación, deberán cumplirla. — If they should have acknowledged the obligation, they must fulfill it.

Reconocer imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Reconocer affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	reconoce	recognize
Usted — you, singular formal	reconozca	recognize (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	reconozcamos	let’s recognize
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	reconoced	recognize (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	reconozcan	recognize (plural)

• Reconoce tu error y corrígelo. — Acknowledge your mistake and correct it.

Reconocer negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no reconozcas	do not recognize
Usted — you, singular formal	no reconozca	do not recognize (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no reconozcamos	let’s not recognize
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no reconozcáis	do not recognize (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no reconozcan	do not recognize (plural)

• No reconozcas como válido un documento sin revisarlo. — Do not recognize a document as valid without reviewing it.

Common constructions with Reconocer

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• reconocer algo o a alguien. — to recognize something or someone.
• reconocer que + clause. — to acknowledge / admit that something is true.
• reconocer a alguien como + role. — to recognize someone as holding a role or status.

Example sentences with Reconocer

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• No reconozco este número. — I do not recognize this number.
• Reconoció que había cometido un error. — He / she admitted that he / she had made a mistake.
• La ley reconoce este derecho. — The law recognizes this right.
• Espero que reconozcas la diferencia. — I hope you recognize the difference.
• Han reconocido oficialmente al nuevo representante. — They have officially recognized the new representative.
• Reconoce primero qué parte necesita cambiar. — Recognize first which part needs to change.

Regional and usage notes for Reconocer

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos reconocés esa voz enseguida. — You recognize that voice immediately. (voseo)
• Reconocé tu error y seguí adelante. — Acknowledge your mistake and move forward. (affirmative vos command)

For reconocer, isolate the reconozc- family: reconozco in the first-person present and reconozca... throughout the present subjunctive. Most other major forms are predictable.